Windshield wiper blade having horizontal path

ABSTRACT

In a preferred form, this disclosure relates to a windshield wiper apparatus which is operable to reciprocate a windshield wiper in a generally horizontal path across the windshield while maintaining the wiper in a generally vertical disposition during running operation and which is operable to park the same in a generally horizontal position adjacent the lower edge of the windshield when wiper operation is being terminated. The windshield wiping apparatus includes a stationary support means, a lever means pivotally supported at one end by the support means and which is adapted to be swung to and fro for reciprocably moving a wiper pivotally connected to its other end through first and second strokes across the windshield, a first drive means operatively connected with the wiper for simultaneously rotating the wiper relative to the lever means to increase the stroke length in response to swinging movement being imparted to the lever means, a second drive means for moving an articulating means relative to the lever means to maintain the wiper blade assembly in a generally vertical disposition as it moves through its strokes, and a parking mechanism which is operable to permit the wiper and articulating means to move relative to the lever means as the latter is swung to and fro during running operation and which is operable to prevent relative movement therebetween when the wiper is midway through one of its strokes when running operation is being terminated to effect movement of the wiper from a generally vertical disposition to a generally horizontal park position adjacent the lower edge of the windshield.

Elite Peterson Sttes Patent [54] WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADE HAVINGHORIZONTAL PATH [72] Inventor: Donald W. Peterson, Fenton, Mich.

[73] Assignee: General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich.

221 Filed: Dec. 16,l970 21 Appl. No.: 98,621

[52] US. Cl. ..15/250.21, 15/250.23, 15/250.30 [51] Int. Cl ..B60g 1/02[58] Field of Search ..l5/250.13, 250.16, 250.17,

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 385,408 12/1932 Great Britain..l5/250.l9

Primary Examiner-Peter Feldman Att0rneyW. E. Finken and W. A. Schuetz[57] ABSTRACT In a preferred form, this disclosure relates to awindshield wiper apparatus which is operable to reciprocate a windshieldwiper in a generally horizon- Sept. 5, 1972 tal path across thewindshield while maintaining the wiper in a generally verticaldisposition during running operation and which is operable to park thesame in a generally horizontal position adjacent the lower edge of thewindshield when wiper operation is being terminated. The windshieldwiping apparatus includes a stationary support means, a lever meanspivotally supported at one end by the support means and which is adaptedto be swung to and fro for reciprocably moving a wiper pivotallyconnected to its other end through first and second strokes across thewindshield, a first drive means operatively connected with the wiper forsimultaneously rotating the wiper relative to the lever means toincrease the stroke length in response to swinging movement beingimparted to the lever means, a second drive means for moving anarticulating means relative to the lever means to maintain the wiperblade assembly in a generally vertical disposition as it moves throughits strokes, and a parking mechanism which is operable to permit thewiper and articulating means to move relative to the lever means as thelatter is swung to and fro during running operation and which isoperable to prevent relative movement therebetween when the wiper ismidway through one of its strokes when running operation is beingterminated to effect movement of the wiper from a generally verticaldisposition to a generally horizontal park position adjacent the loweredge of the windshield.

3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PXImTEDsEP we 3.688.334

SHEET 2 OF 4 ATTORNEY PATENTEDSEP 5 m2 3.688.334

SHEET s 0F 4 INVENTOR.

WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADE HAVING HORIZONTAL PATH The present inventionrelates to a windshield wiping apparatus, and in particular to awindshield wiping apparatus which is operable to reciprocate awindshield wiper in a generally horizontal path across the windshieldwhile maintaining the wiper in a generally vertical disposition duringrunning operation and which is operable to park the same in a generallyhorizontal position adjacent the lower edge of the windshield when wiperoperation is being terminated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedwindshield wiping apparatus for wiping a windshield of an automotivevehicle and which includes a stationary support means, a lever meanspivotally supported at one end by the support means and which is adaptedto be swung to and fro for reciprocably moving a windshield wiperpivotally connected to its other end through first and second strokes ina generally horizontal path across the windshield, a drive meansoperatively connected with the wiper for simultaneously rotating thewiper relative to the lever means to increase the stroke length of thepath traversed by the wiper in response to swinging movement beingimparted to the lever means, and a parking mechanism which is operablein response to wiper operation being terminated for parking the wiper ina generally horizontal position adjacent the lower edge of thewindshield.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved windshield wiping apparatus, as defined in the next precedingobject, and in which the parking mechanism is operable to permit thewiper to rotate relative to the lever means as the latter is swung toand fro to reciprocably move the wiper during running operation andwhich is operable when wiper operation is being terminated to preventrelative rotation therebetween when the wiper reaches a predeterminedposition during one of its strokes to cause the wiper and lever means tomove in unison during the latter portion of its stroke to park the wiperin a generally horizontal position adjacent the lower edge of thewindshield.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedwindshield wiping apparatus for wiping a windshield of an automotivevehicle and which includes a stationary support means for supporting afirst shaft; a lever means pivotally connected to the first shaft at oneend and which carries a second pivot shaft at its other end; awindshield wiper having a wiper arm drivingly connected to the secondpivot shaft, a wiper blade assembly pivotally connected to the wiper armfor movement about an axis extending generally normal to the windshield,and an articulating arm means pivotally connected to the second pivotshaft and the wiper blade assembly; a primary drive means operativelyconnected with the lever means for swinging the same to and fro aboutthe first shaft through an arc of approximately 180 to reciprocably movethe wiper through first and second strokes in a generally horizontalpath during running operation; a first planetary drive means operativelyconnected with the first and second shafts for rotating the windshieldwiper arm relative to the lever means in response to movement beingimparted to the lever means by the primary drive means to increase thestroke length of the windshield wiper, and a second planetary drivemeans operatively connected with the first shaft and the articulatingarm means for effecting movement of the latter relative to the levermeans to maintain the wiper blade assembly in a generally verticaldisposition as it is moved through its strokes in response to swingingmovement being imparted to the lever means.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved windshield wiping apparatus, as defined in the next precedingobject, and which includes a parking mechanism which is operable topermit the wiper and articulating arm means to rotate relative to thelever means as the latter is swung to and fro to reciprocate the wiperthrough its strokes during running operation and which is operable whenwiper operation is being terminated to prevent relative rotationtherebetween as the wiper reaches its midposition during one of itsstrokes to cause the wiper and lever means to move in unison during thelatter portion of its stroke whereby the wiper is caused to be movedfrom a generally vertical position toward a horizontal park positionadjacent the lower edge of the windshield.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved windshield wiping apparatus, as defined in the next precedingobject, and in which the parking mechanism has parking arm fixed to saidfirst shaft and a movable detent means which is movable between a firstposition in which it locks said parking arm to said stationary means toenable the lever means to be swung to and fro relative thereto and asecond position in which it locks said parking arm to said lever meansto cause said first and second planetary drive means to be rotated asthe lever means is swung to and fro to prevent relative rotation betweenthe wiper arm and articulating means and the lever means to cause thewiper to be moved towards its park position.

The present invention further resides in various novel constructions andarrangement of parts, and further objects, novel characteristics andadvantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art to which it relates and from the following detailed descriptionof the illustrated embodiment thereof made with reference to theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in whichsimilar reference numerals or characters are employed to designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a vehicle embodyingthe novel windshield wiping apparatus of the present invention;

FIGS. 2-4 are views similar to that shown in FIG. I, but showingdifferent parts thereof in different positions;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, with parts shown inelevation, taken approximately along lines 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away or shown insection, looking in the direction of the arrow 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevational view like that shown in FIG. 6,but showing different parts thereof in different positions.

The present invention provides a novel windshield wiping apparatus whichis operable to reciprocate a windshield wiper in a generally horizontalpath across the outer surface of a windshield while maintaining thewiper in a generally vertical disposition during running operation, andwhich is operable to park the same in a generally horizontal positionadjacent the lower edge of the windshield when running operation isbeing terminated.

As representing a preferred embodiment of the present invention, thedrawings show a windshield wiping apparatus A for wiping a windshield 10of an automotive vehicle 12. The windshield 10 is suitably supported bythe vehicle body structure 13 and is completely surrounded by revealmolding 14. The vehicle 12 also includes a forwardly extending hood 16whose rearward edge 16a is spaced forwardly of the windshield 10. Thewindshield l0, hood 16 and body structure 13 defines a well orcompartment 18 for housing the major portion of the windshield wipingapparatus A. The well or compartment 18 at its upper end defines an openslot 18a extending transversely across the vehicle 12.

The windshield wiping apparatus A broadly comprises a stationary supportmeans 20; a first or support shaft 21 carried by the stationary supportmeans 20; a swingable lever means 22 which is pivotally connected at oneend to the support shaft 21 and which carries a second or pivot shaft 24at its other end; a windshield wiper 26 having a wiper arm 27 which isdrivingly connected to the pivot shaft 24, a wiper blade assembly 28which is pivotally connected to the wiper arm 27 for movement relativethereto about an axis extending generally normal to the windshield l andan articulating arm means 29 rotatably connected with the pivot shaft 24for controlling the attitude of the wiper blade assembly 28; a primarydrive transmission or means 30 pivotally connected with the lever means22 adjacent its lower end for swinging the lever means 22 to and frothrough an arc of approximately 180 to cause the wiper 26 to bereciprocably moved through first and second strokes in a generallyhorizontal path across the outer surface of the windshield a firstplanetary drive means 32 operatively connected with the shafts 21 and 24for rotating the wiper arm 27 of the wiper 26 relative to the levermeans 22 through an arc of approximately 90 in response to swingingmovement being imparted to the lever means 22 by the drive transmission30 to increase the length of the stroke of the wiper 26; a secondplanetary drive means 34 operatively connected with the shaft 21 and thearticulating arm means 29 for moving the latter to maintain the wiperblade assembly 28 in a generally vertical disposition in response to thelever means 22 being swung to and fro; and a parking mechanism 36 whichis operable to permit the wiper arm 27 and articulating arm means 29 tobe moved relative to the lever means 22 during running operation andwhich is operable when wiper operation is being terminated to preventthe same from moving relative to the lever means 22 when the wiper 26 isat the midportion of one of its strokes to cause the wiper 26 and thelever means 22 to be moved in unison during the remaining portion of thestroke to a generally horizontal park position adjacent the lower edgeof the windshield 10.

The stationary support means 20 comprises a fabricated generallyU-shaped member having spaced legs 40 and 41 integrally connected by atransverse or bight portion 42. The leg 41 is suitably bolted orotherwise secured to a frame 13a of the vehicle support structure 13.The legs 40 and 41 have aligned openings 40a and 41a and support a pairof bushings 44 and 45 which are respectively press titted within theopenings 40a and 41a. The bushings 44 and 45 rotatably support theannular support or first shaft 21.

The shaft 21 rotatably supports the lever means 22 for rotationalmovement about its axis 21a. The lever means 22 comprises a U-shapedmember having a pair of legs and 51. The shaft 21 carries a pair ofspaced bushings 52 and 53 which are press fitted in openings 50a and 51ain the legs 50 and 51 at the upper end of the lever means 22. Thebushings 52 and 53 rotatably support the lever means 22 for pivotalmovement in opposite directions about the axis 210 of the shaft 21.

The lever means 22 supports the windshield wiper 26. To this end, thelever means 22, at its lower end, carried a pair of spaced bushings 55and 56 which are press fitted within openings 50b and 51b in the legs 50and S1 of the lever means 22. The bushing 55 has a central opening whichslidably receives a sleeve or sleeve means 60. The sleeve 60 and thebushing 56 have aligned central openings which slidably receives thesecond shaft 24, the shaft 24 being rotatably supported by the sleeve 60and the bushings 56.

The windshield wiper 26 is connected to the shaft 24 carried by thelever means 22. The shaft 24 has a knurled end 24a which is drivinglyconnected to the wiper arm 27 in a manner well known to those skilled inthe art. The shaft 24 also rotatably supports the articulating arm means29. To this end, the articulating arm means 29 comprises a first arm 29awhich is drivingly connected to the sleeve 60 via a set screw 62 and asecond arm 29b pivotally connected to the other end of the first arm 29aby a pivot pin means 63 and its other end pivotally connected to a lever64 by a pivot pin means 65, The lever 64 in turn has its other endpivotally connected to the upper end of the wiper arm 27 and to thewiper blade assembly 28 by a pivot pin means 66.

The lever means 22 is adapted to be swung to and fro about the axis 21aof the shaft 21 to cause the windshield wiper 26 to be reciprocatedthrough leftward and rightward strokes in a generally horizontal pathacross the outer surface of the windshield 10. The lever means 22 isadapted to be swung about the axis 210 of the shaft 21 through an arc ofsubstantially between a leftmost position, as shown in FIG. 1, and arightmost position, as shown in FIG. 3. When the lever means 22 is inits leftmost position it is generally horizontally disposed and thewindshield wiper 26 is in its leftmost stroke end position and when thelever means 22 is in its rightmost position it is generally horizontallydisposed with respect to the lower edge of the windshield and the wiper26 is in its rightmost stroke end position. As the lever means 22 isswung from its leftmost position towards its rightmost position, thewindshield wiper 26 is simultaneously moved horizontally across thewindshield 10 and vertically downward with respect to the windshield 10until it is midway through its stroke, as shown in FIG. 2, and then thewindshield wiper 26 is simultaneously moved horizontally and verticallyupward. The resultant path of the windshield wiper 26 is such that it isgenerally moved horizontally across the windshield 10.

The lever means 22 is adapted to be swung to and fro by the primarydrive transmission or means 30. The drive means 30 preferably comprisesa uni-directional electric motor and gear reduction unit 71 whose outputshaft is drivingly connected to one end of crank arm 72. The other endof the crank arm 72 is swivelly connected by a ball and socket joint toone end of a drive link 73. The other end of the drive link 73 isswivelly connected to the lever means adjacent the lower end of thelatter by a ball and socket joint 74. When the drive means 30 isenergized it causes the drive link 73 to be reciprocated back and forthwhich in turn causes the lever means 22 to be swung to and fro betweenits leftmost and rightmost end positions, as respectively shown in FIGS.1 and 3.

The wiper means 26 is also rotated relative to the lever means 22through an arc of substantially 90 in response to the lever means 22being swung to and fro. This increases the length of the strokes of thewiper 26 and enables the wiper to wipe more of the windshield surface18.

The wiper 26 is rotated relative to the lever means 22 by the firstplanetary drive means 32. The planetary drive means 32 comprises atoothed pulley or gear 75 which is drivingly connected to the shaft 21,a toothed pulley or gear 76 which is drivingly connected to the shaft 24and an endless toothed belt 77 which is trained around the pulleys 75and 76. The pulleys 75 and 76 are drivingly connected to the shafts 21and 24 by slot and key connections 78 and 79, respectively. The pulley75 has a larger diameter than the pulley 76.

During running operation of the wiper apparatus A, the shaft 21 is heldstationary and, hence, the pulley 75 is held stationary. The swinging orreciprocable movement imparted to the lever 22 thus causes differentportions of the belt 77 on opposite sides of the pulley 75 to wraparound and unwrap therefrom. This wrapping and unwrapping of the belt 77with respect to the pulley 75 causes the pulley 76, which is of a lesserdiameter than pulley 75, to be rotated, which in turn causes the driveshaft 24 and the wiper 26 to be rotated. It has been found that if theratio of the diameters between the pulleys 75 and 76 is 1.9 to 1.0, thatthe shaft 24 and wiper 26 will be rotated substantially 90 in responseto the lever being swung through an arc of substantially 180.

The wiper blade assembly 28 as it is moved through its stroke ismaintained in a vertical attitude with respect to the windshield by thesecond planetary drive means 34. The second planetary drive means 34comprises a toothed pulley or gear 80 which is fixed to the shaft 21, atoothed pulley or gear 81 which is fixed to the sleeve 60 and an endlesstoothed belt 82 trained around the pulleys 80 and 81. The pulley 80 isdrivingly connected to the shaft 21 by the slot and key connection 78and the pulley 81 is drivingly connected to the shaft 24 by a slot andkey connection 85. The pulleys 80 and 81 are of the same diameter.

When the lever 22 is swung to and fro it causes different portions onopposite sides of the belt 82 to wrap and unwrap from the pulley 80,which in turn causes the pulley 81 to be rotated. Since the pulley 81 isof the same diameter as the pulley 80, the sleeve and articulating arm29a will be rotated substantially 180 relative to the lever means 22 asthe latter is swung substantially 180. Thus, the sleeve 60 and thearticulating arm 29a are maintained in the same position during theentire arcuate swinging movement of the lever means 22. It can be seenfrom FIGS. 1 through 3 that the articulating arm 29a is maintainedgenerally in the same horizontal position during the entire arcuateswinging movement of the lever means 22.

This maintenance of the articulating arm 29a in the same attitude withrespect to the windshield 10 causes the articulating arm 2% as it isarcuately moved by the wiper arm 27, due to the rotational movementimparted thereto, to effect a turning movement of the lever 64 tomaintain the wiper blade assembly 28 in a vertical dispositionthroughout its path of movement across the windshield 10. By maintainingthe wiper blade assembly 28 in a substantially vertical attitude, itwill be disposed parallel to the air stream flowing over the vehicle.This eliminates or substantially minimizes any problems regarding windlift of the wiper blades.

When running operation of the windshield wiper apparatus A is no longerdesired, the windshield wiper 26 is caused to be moved to a generallyhorizontal parked position, as shown in FIG. 4, in which it is disposedadjacent the lower edge of the windshield 10 and in the slot 18a so asto be concealed from view. To this end, the novel parking mechanism 36is provided. The parking mechanism 36 is broadly operable to lock theshaft 21 against relative rotation with respect to the stationarysupport means 20 and to allow the wiper 26 to be rotated relative to thelever means 22 during running operation and is operable to unlock theshaft from the stationary support means 20 and the shaft 21 to the levermeans 22 to prevent the wiper 26 from rotating relative to the levermeans 22 during parking operation.

The parking mechanism 36 comprises a parking arm which is drivinglyconnected at its upper end to the shaft 21. The arm 100 at its bottomend is bifurcated to define a vertically extending slot or notch 101, asbest shown in FIG. 5. The parking arm 100 is adapted to be selectivelycoupled and uncoupled to the stationary housing means 20 and the levermeans 22 by a shiftable detent means 105. The shiftable detent meanscomprises an L-shaped member 106 having one leg 106a thereof slidablysupported by the arm 100 for movement in opposite directions relativethereto and toward and from the shaft 21. The leg 106a is slidablyguided for movement toward and from the shaft 21 by a guide means 108suitably secured to the arm 100.

The leg 106a carries a roller or detent 110 which is rotatably joumaledon a pin 111 secured to the leg 106a adjacent its lower end. The roller110 is disposed within the notch 101 of the arm 100 and is disposedwithin an aligned notch 112 in the leg 41 of the stationary supportmeans 20 during running operation of the wiper 26.

As best shown in FIG. 6, the leg 41 of the support means 20 at its lowerend defines an arcuately extending cam surface 114 which is concentricwith the axis 21a of the drive shaft 21 and which terminates with thenotch 112 which extends radially inwardly therefrom toward the axis 21a.The support means 20 also includes a downwardly extending foot portion115 whose leftward end, as viewed in FIG. 6, defines a cam surface 116which extends beneath the notch 112 and partially beneath the camsurface 114 at a spaced radial location.

During running operation of the wiper 26, the roller 110 is receivedwithin the notch 112 of the stationary support means 20. This locks thearm 100 and the shaft 21 to the stationary support means 20 to preventrelative rotation therebetween. The roller 100 is held within the notchduring running operation of the wipers by a solenoid means 120. Thesolenoid means 120 is carried by the arm 100 and includes a suitablesolenoid having a selectively energizable solenoid coil not shown)having a movable core 121. The core 121 has its free end suitablysecured to the other leg 106b of the L-shaped member 106. The solenoid120 is energized during running operation of the wipers and whenenergized draws the core 121 upwardly to move the member 106 upwardlyand the roller 110 within the notch 1 12 of the stationary support means20.

The solenoid coil 120 is adapted to be in a series circuit with thevehicle battery and the electric motor 71 for driving the windshieldwiper 26. Energization and de-energization of the wiper motor 71 ispreferably controlled by suitable manually manipulatable control switchnot shown) which is accessible to the vehicle operator. When the controlswitch is moved to an on position to energize the wiper motor 71, thesolenoid 120 is also energized to move and maintain the roller 110within the notch 112 of the stationary support means 20. When the wipermotor is de-energized to terminate running operation of the wiper, thiscircuit for the motor 71 and solenoid 120 will be de-energized. Thewiper motor 71, however, will remain energized until the wiper 26reaches its park position due to a conventional parking switch (notshown) mounted within the wiper motor 71. As well known in the art, thisparking switch will be located in a parallel circuit with the wipermotor and the solenoid 120 to maintain the wiper motor 71 energizeduntil the wiper reaches its park position.

When the operator moves the control switch (not shown) for the wipermotor to its off position to terminate running operation, the solenoid120 is de-energized. This causes a compression spring 123 having one endin abutting engagement with a solenoid housing 124 for containing thesolenoid coil and its other end in abutting engagement with the leg 106bof the L-shaped member 106 to move the latter downwardly and intoengagement with an arcuate cam surface 125 of an arcuate cam 126 on thelever means 22. The arcuately extending cam 126 is suitably welded tothe leg 41 of the lever means 22 and the arcuately extending cam surface125 is concentric with the axis 21a of the shaft 21. Intermediate theends of the arcuate cam 126 is a notch 128.

When the windshield wiper 26 reaches its midway position on being movedthrough its rightward stroke upon wiper operation being terminated, thenotch 128 in the cam 126 will be aligned with the notch 101 in the arm100 and the spring 123 will move the roller 110 into the notch 128. Ifwiper operation were terminated prior to the time the wiper 26 being inits midway position during its rightward stroke, the roller 110 wouldmerely have moved down into engagement with the cam surface 125 and rollthereon until the notch 128 became aligned with the notch 101. When theroller 1 10 is in the notch 128 the parking arm 100 is unlocked from thesupport means 20 and locked to the lever means 22 whereby furthermovement of the lever means 22 toward the left from its midway positionshown in FIG. 2 towards its leftmost end position causes the lever means22 and the parking arm 100 to move in unison. When the parking arm 100is also rotated with the lever means 22 the pulleys and are rotatedtherewith which causes the belts 77 and 82 to be rotated and the pivotshaft 24 to be rotated along with the rotation now being imparted to theshaft 21. With both shafts21 and 24 being rotated at the same angularspeed, the relative positions of the wiper arm 27 and the articulatingarm 29a with respect to the lever means 22 remains the same and hence,there is no relative movement therebetween. Thus, the wiper 26 will berotated approximately from its midway position, as shown in FIG. 2,towards its parked position, as shown in FIG. 4, in which the wiper 26and the lever means 22 are in a substantially horizontal position withinthe slot 18 adjacent the lower edge of the windshield 10. When the wiper26 has reached a parked position the park switch not shown) within thewiper motor 71 will be opened to de-energize the motor 71 When wiperoperation is being initiated, the reverse movements of the parts willtake place. That is, when wiper operation is initiated by moving thecontrol switch not shown) to an on position, both the wiper motor 71 andthe solenoid 120 are energized, since they are in series circuit witheach other. Energization of the solenoid 120 however cannot at this timecause the roller to be moved upwardly out of the notch 128 since theroller 110 will engage the cam surface 1 14. During the swingingmovement of the lever means 22 toward the right from its position shownin H6. 4 toward its midway position shown in FIG. 2, the roller 110 willroll on the cam surface 114 until it is aligned with the notch 112whereupon the energized solenoid will move the L-shaped member 106 androller 110 upwardly and with the roller 110 being received within thenotch 112 of the stationary support means 20. The cam surface 1 16guides the movement of the roller 110 upwardly into the notch 112. Withthe roller 1 10 within the notch 112, the lever means 22 is unlockedfrom the parking arm 100 and the parking arm 100 is locked to thestationary housing 20. This prevents the pulleys 75 and 80 from rotatingand thus, effects rotational movement of the wiper 26 relative to thelever means 22 as the latter is swung to and fro during runningoperation in the manner hereinbefore described.

Although only the wiper and apparatus for wiping the left side of thewindshield, as viewed in FIGS. 14 has been shown and described, it will,of course, be understood that an identical wiper and apparatus for theright side of the windshield and which would be driven by the crank arm72 of the wiper motor 71 via a cross link would be provided.

Although the illustrated preferred embodiment hereof has been describedin great detail, it should be apparent that certain modifications,changes and adaptations may be made in the illustrated embodiment, and

that it is hereby intended to cover all such modifications, changes andadaptations which come within the spirit of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A windshield wiping apparatus for wiping a windshield of anautomotive vehicle comprising: a stationary support means which isadapted to be secured to the vehicle; a first shaft supported by saidsupport means; a lever means having one end pivotally connected withsaid first shaft; a second shaft pivotally connected with the other endof said lever means; a windshield wiper comprising a wiper arm drivinglyconnected with said second shaft, a wiper blade assembly pivotallyconnected with said arm for movement about an axis extending generallynormal to the windshield; articulating arm means pivotally connectedwith said second shaft and connected with said wiper blade assembly; aprimary drive means operatively connected with said lever means adjacentits other end for swinging the same to and fro about said first shaft inan arcuate path beneath said first shaft to effect reciprocation of saidwiper in a generally horizontal path across the windshield; a firstplanetary drive means operatively connected with said first and secondshafts and operable to effect rotation of said wiper in response to saidlever means being swung to and fro to increase the stroke length of thewiper; second planetary drive means operatively connected with saidfirst shaft and said articulating arm means for actuating saidarticulating arm means to pivot said wiper blade assembly as the wiperarm is being rotated in response to swinging movement of said levermeans to maintain the wiper blade assembly in a substantially verticaldisposition as the wiper is being moved through its strokes, and aparking mechanism operable to effect rotation of said wiper to agenerally horizontal position adjacent the lower edge of the windshieldto park the same when wiper operation is being terminated.

2. A windshield wiping apparatus for wiping a windshield of anautomotive vehicle comprising: a stationary support means adapted to besecured to the vehicle; a first shaft supported by said support means; alever means having one end pivotally connected with said first shaft; asecond shaft pivotally connected with the other end of said lever means;a windshield wiper comprising a wiper arm drivingly connected with saidsecond shaft, a wiper blade assembly pivotally connected with said armfor movement about an axis extending generally normal to the windshieldand an articulating arm means operatively connected with said wiperblade assembly and pivotally connected with said second shaft; a primarydrive means operatively connected with said lever means adjacent itsother end for swinging the same to and fro about said first shaft in anarcuate path beneath said first shaft to effect reciprocable movement ofthe wiper in a generally horizontal path across the windshield throughfirst and second strokes; a first planetary drive means operativelyconnected with said first and second shafts and operable during runningoperation of the wiper to effect rotation of said wiper relative to saidlever means in response to said lever means being swung to and fro toincrease the length of the strokes of the wiper blade assemblies; asecond planetary drive means operatively connected with said first shaftand said articulating arm means for actuating said articulating armmeans to pivot said wiper blade assembly relative to said wiper arm tomaintain said wiper blade assembly in a substantially verticaldisposition as it is moved through its stroke in response to swingingmovement being imparted to said lever means; and a parking mechanismoperable to permit said wiper arm and said articulating means to moverelative to said lever means during running operation and operable inresponse to running operation being terminated to prevent said wiper andarticulating means from moving relative to said lever means upon saidwiper reaching a predetermined position during one of its strokeswhereby said wiper is caused to be moved toward a horizontal positionadjacent the lower edge of the windshield during the remaining portionof said one stroke.

3. A windshield wiping apparatus for wiping a windshield of anautomotive vehicle comprising: a stationary support means which isadapted. to be secured to the vehicle; a first shaft supported by saidsupport means; a lever means having one end pivotally connected withsaid first shaft; a second shaft pivotally connected with the other endof said lever means; a windshield wiper comprising a wiper arm drivinglyconnected with said second shaft, a wiper blade assembly pivotallyconnected with said wiper arm for movement about an axis extendinggenerally normal to the windshield and an articulating arm meansoperatively connected with said wiper blade assembly and pivotallyconnected with said second shaft; a primary drive means operativelyconnected with said lever means adjacent its other end for swinging thesame to and fro about said first shaft through an arc of approximately180 to effect reciprocation of said wiper in a generally horizontal pathacross the windshield through first and second strokes; a firstplanetary drive means operatively connected with said first and secondshafts and operable to effect rotation of said second shaft and wiperrelative to said lever means through an arc of substantially in responseto said lever means being reciprocated to and fro by said primary drivemeans to increase the length of the strokes of the wiper blade assembly;a second planetary drive means operatively connected with said firstshaft and said articulating arm means for actuating said articulatingarm means to pivot said wiper blade assembly relative to said wiper armin response to said lever means being swung to and fro to maintain saidwiper blade assembly in a substantially vertical disposition as thewiper is moved through its strokes; and a parking mechanism operable toautomatically park the wiper in a generally horizontal park positionadjacent the lower edge of the windshield when wiper operation is beingterminated, said parking mechanism comprising a cam secured to saidlever means and having an arcuate cam surface substantially concentricwith said first shaft, said cam having a notch intermediate its ends; aparking arm drivingly connected with said first shaft and having abifurcated end defining a notch; said stationary housing means having anotch; a movable detent means movable between a first position in whicha detent thereof is disposed within said notches of said parking arm andstationary housing means to lock said parking arm to said stationarysupport means to allow said lever means to rotate relative to theparking arm and a second position in which the detent thereof is removedfrom said notch of said housing means and is disposed within saidnotches of said parking arm and said cam of said lever means to locksaid parking arm to said lever means to effect simultaneous rotation ofsaid parking arm and lever means as well as rotation of said planetarydrive means to effect movement of said windshield wiper toward ahorizontal park position adjacent the lower edge of the windshield, saiddetent means being in its first position during running operation andbeing movable toward its second position when running operation

1. A windshield wiping apparatus for wiping a windshield of anautomotive vehicle comprising: a stationary support means which isadapted to be secured to the vehicle; a first shaft supported by saidsupport means; a lever means having one end pivotally connected withsaid first shaft; a second shaft pivotally connected with the other endof said lever means; a windshield wiper comprising a wiper arm drivinglyconnected with said second shaft, a wiper blade assembly pivotallyconnected with said arm for movement about an axis extending generallynormal to the windshield; articulating arm means pivotally connectedwith said second shaft and connected with said wiper blade assembly; aprimary drive means operatively connected with said lever means adjacentits other end for swinging the same to and fro about said first shaft inan arcuate path beneath said first shaft to effect reciprocation of saidwiper in a generally horizontal path across the windshield; a firstplanetary drive means operatively connected with said first and secondshafts and operable to effect rotation of said wiper in response to saidlever means being swung to and fro to increase the stroke length of thewiper; second planetary drive means operatively connected with saidfirst shaft and said articulating arm means for actuating saidarticulating arm means to pivot said wiper blade assembly as the wiperarm is being rotated in response to swinging movement of said levermeans to maintain the wiper blade assembly in a substantially verticaldisposition as the wiper is being moved through its strokes, and aparking mechanism operable to effect rotation of said wiper to agenerally horizontal position adjacent the lower edge of the windshieldto park the same when wiper operation is being terminated.
 2. Awindshield wiping apparatus for wiping a windshield of an automotivevehicle comprising: a stationary support means adapted to be secured tothe vehicle; a first shaft supported by said support means; a levermeans having one end pivotally connected with said first shaft; a secondshaft pivotally connected with the other end of said lever means; awindshield wiper comprising a wiper arm drivingly connected with saidsecond shaft, a wiper blade assembly pivotally connected with said armfor movement about an axis extending generally normal to the windshieldand an articulating arm means operatively connected with said wiperblade assembly and pivotally connected with said second shaft; a primarydrive means operatively connected with said lever means adjacent itsother end for swinging the same to and fro about said first shaft in anarcuate path beneath said first shaft to effEct reciprocable movement ofthe wiper in a generally horizontal path across the windshield throughfirst and second strokes; a first planetary drive means operativelyconnected with said first and second shafts and operable during runningoperation of the wiper to effect rotation of said wiper relative to saidlever means in response to said lever means being swung to and fro toincrease the length of the strokes of the wiper blade assemblies; asecond planetary drive means operatively connected with said first shaftand said articulating arm means for actuating said articulating armmeans to pivot said wiper blade assembly relative to said wiper arm tomaintain said wiper blade assembly in a substantially verticaldisposition as it is moved through its stroke in response to swingingmovement being imparted to said lever means; and a parking mechanismoperable to permit said wiper arm and said articulating means to moverelative to said lever means during running operation and operable inresponse to running operation being terminated to prevent said wiper andarticulating means from moving relative to said lever means upon saidwiper reaching a predetermined position during one of its strokeswhereby said wiper is caused to be moved toward a horizontal positionadjacent the lower edge of the windshield during the remaining portionof said one stroke.
 3. A windshield wiping apparatus for wiping awindshield of an automotive vehicle comprising: a stationary supportmeans which is adapted to be secured to the vehicle; a first shaftsupported by said support means; a lever means having one end pivotallyconnected with said first shaft; a second shaft pivotally connected withthe other end of said lever means; a windshield wiper comprising a wiperarm drivingly connected with said second shaft, a wiper blade assemblypivotally connected with said wiper arm for movement about an axisextending generally normal to the windshield and an articulating armmeans operatively connected with said wiper blade assembly and pivotallyconnected with said second shaft; a primary drive means operativelyconnected with said lever means adjacent its other end for swinging thesame to and fro about said first shaft through an arc of approximately180* to effect reciprocation of said wiper in a generally horizontalpath across the windshield through first and second strokes; a firstplanetary drive means operatively connected with said first and secondshafts and operable to effect rotation of said second shaft and wiperrelative to said lever means through an arc of substantially 90* inresponse to said lever means being reciprocated to and fro by saidprimary drive means to increase the length of the strokes of the wiperblade assembly; a second planetary drive means operatively connectedwith said first shaft and said articulating arm means for actuating saidarticulating arm means to pivot said wiper blade assembly relative tosaid wiper arm in response to said lever means being swung to and fro tomaintain said wiper blade assembly in a substantially verticaldisposition as the wiper is moved through its strokes; and a parkingmechanism operable to automatically park the wiper in a generallyhorizontal park position adjacent the lower edge of the windshield whenwiper operation is being terminated, said parking mechanism comprising acam secured to said lever means and having an arcuate cam surfacesubstantially concentric with said first shaft, said cam having a notchintermediate its ends; a parking arm drivingly connected with said firstshaft and having a bifurcated end defining a notch; said stationaryhousing means having a notch; a movable detent means movable between afirst position in which a detent thereof is disposed within said notchesof said parking arm and stationary housing means to lock said parkingarm to said stationary support means to allow said lever means to rotaterelative to the parking arm and a second position in which the detentthereof iS removed from said notch of said housing means and is disposedwithin said notches of said parking arm and said cam of said lever meansto lock said parking arm to said lever means to effect simultaneousrotation of said parking arm and lever means as well as rotation of saidplanetary drive means to effect movement of said windshield wiper towarda horizontal park position adjacent the lower edge of the windshield,said detent means being in its first position during running operationand being movable toward its second position when running operation isbeing terminated, said detent means being received in said notch of saidcam when said wiper is vertically disposed and is located midway betweenthe stroke ends of its second stroke, said parking arm when locked tosaid lever means causing said planetary drive to rotate while also beingswung by said lever means to maintain the relative positions of thewiper and the lever means intact to enable the wiper to be moved from agenerally vertical position toward a generally horizontal park position.